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Mackinac Island Cemeteries

There are three Mackinac Island cemeteries, two civilian and one military. Ste. Anne's Catholic Cemetery is the largest cemetery. The Protestant Cemetery is referred to on the Island as The Mackinac Island Cemetery. The Military Cemetery is the Post Cemetery. All three are adjacent to each other and located on Garrison Road in the middle of the Island. Noteworthy and enjoyable to explore, each is full of Mackinac Island history and well worth a visit during your Mackinac Island vacation. Located on Garrison Road, they are open to the public during daylight hours only.

The Post Cemetery, a military cemetery has graves dating back to the War of 1812 and within are buried both British and American soldiers from that conflict.

It is an inspiring privilege to see theScout Honor Troop
of the week raising and lowering the flag each day with the playing of Taps.

The Post Cemetery flag continually flies at half mast. This cemetery is one of four National Cemeteries with this honor. The others are the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific (the Punchbowl) in Honolulu, Hawaii, Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia, and National Cemetery at Gettysburg in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. The responsibility for maintenance of the Post Cemetery on Mackinac Island is through the Department of Veterans Affairs through an agreement with the State of Michigan. It is designated as a National Historic Landmark.

If you take a group
carriage tour
it will take you past the cemeteries. These tours depart from the downtown area across from the Arnold Line dock, but to really absorb the history, you should plan to return on your own and spend time reading the headstones.

Legend has it that the stone arched entrance to Ste. Anne’s Catholic Cemetery was built to accommodate the height of a horse-drawn hearse. However, the first time a funeral procession approached, they realized that they forgot to account for the driver, resulting in a headless hearse-man!